Cushioning devices suitable for use as railway draft gears



July 10. 1955 w, c, c;

CUSHIONING DEVICES SUITABLE FOR USE AS RAILWAY DRAFT GEARS Filed Aug. 14, 1953 IN VEN TOR (M M3 6W0; L] L A TTOR/VZS V I V//////////// u 7/ 07 CUSHIONTNG DEVICES SUITABLE FOR USE AS WAY DRAFT GEAR Walter C. Dilg, Hewlett, N. Y., assignor to Waugh Equipment Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Maine Application August 14, 1953, Serial No. 374,183

2 Claims. (Cl. 213-49) This invention relates to cushioning devices for use primarily as draft gears in railway rolling stock and is concerned more particularly with a novel cushioning device, which is of simple construction, has no parts subject to wear, and is of high capacity and low travel. The new draft gear may be employed to especial advantage on railway freight cars for use in interchange service and an embodiment of the invention for that purpose will, accordingly, be illustrated and described in detail for purposes of explanation.

At the present time, draft gears for use on freight cars to be employed in interchange must comply with specifications prepared by the Association of American Railroads and may not be used on such cars until after having received the approval of the Association. The A. A. R. specifications provide that a draft gear must be capable of being installed in a pocket on the car, which is of stated dimensions, and the gear must have a minimum capacity of 18,000 ft.-lbs. Also, the gear must have a travel of not less than 2 /2" nor more than 2%" before going solid, that is, reaching a condition, in which forces are transmitted through the gear from the coupler to the car structure along an unyielding path.

The present invention is directed to the provision of a novel draft gear, which meets the A. A. R. specifications, has a substantially higher capacity than the minimum required, and can be installed in a standard yoke. In the new gear, the resilient element is rubber and the gear includes two groups of rubber springs, which are installed within respective follower assemblies of link form, each of which is made up of front and rear follower blocks connected along opposite edges by longitudinal members. The links are interconnected and, when the links with the groups of rubber springs therein are mounted within a yoke in a draft pocket, the groups of springs operate in parallel, so that the gear has the total capacity of both groups, but the travel of only one.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be made to the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the new draft gear installed in a draft pocket with parts of the car structure shown in section;

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of the draft gear installed in the yoke of a draft pocket with parts of the car structure broken away;

Figs. 3 and 4 are sectional views, respectively, on the lines 3-3 and 44 of Fig. 2; and

Figs. 5 and 6 are views in side elevation and plan, respectively, of the interconnected links of the new draft gear.

In the drawings, the new draft gear is illustrated as installed within a yoke and lying within a draft pocket between the longitudinal sills 10 and 11 of the car structure. The pocket is oblong in shape and wider than it is deep and it is defined at the front by a pair of stops 12 and at the rear by a pair of stops 13. The yoke is of conventional construction and includes a rear end piece 14, from which top and bottom longitudinal members 15, 16, respectively, extend forwardly to spaced wings 17, which receive the shank 18 of a coupler between them. The wings are slotted and connected by a key 19 to the coupler shank and the ends of the key lie within slots in the sills 10, 11. I

The new draft gear comprises a front follower assembly, which is of link form and consists of a rear follower block 21 connected along its top and bottom edges by longitudinal members 22 to a front end piece 23. The front end piece lies at the front end of the yoke adjacent the stops 12 and a follower block 24 is interposed between the end piece and the front end of the yoke and the stops. If desired, the end piece 23 and follower block 24 may be formed as a single element. The draft gear also includes a rear follower assembly or link 25, which consists of a rear follower block 26 connected along its opposite side edges by longitudinal members 27 to a front follower block 28. The links are interconnected, so that the front follower block 28 of the rear link extends through the front link and the rear follower block 21 of the front link extends through the rear link. The parts of each link are secured together by welding operations and the final welding operations are performed with the parts arranged to cause the links to be interconnected, as described.

The front end piece 23 and the rear follower block 21 of the front link are oblong and of the same height, which is slightly less than the distance between the inner faces of the longitudinal members of the yoke. The front end piece is, however, wider than the rear follower block and the end piece extends through the yoke with its vertical edges lying close to the inner faces of sills 10 and 11, while the rear follower block 21 has a width slightly less than the distance between the inner faces of the longitudinal members 27 of the rear link. The longitudinal members 22 of the front link have a width about equal to the width of the rear follower block 21 and thus the side edges of the member 22 are spaced inward from the side edges of the end piece 23. The rear follower block 26 of the rear link has a width approximately equal to the width of the draft pocket and a height slightly less than the distance between the longitudinal members of the yoke. The front follower block 28 of the rear link has a width the same as that of the rear follower block 26, but its height is less than that of follower 26 and slightly less than the distance between the longitudinal members 22 of the front link. The longitudinal members 27 of the rear link have a height equal to the height of the front follower 28 and substantially less than that of the rear follower 26. The sides of the front link and the top and bottom of the rear link are open and this facilitates the insertion of the cushioning elements in the links.

The front link 20 encloses a group of rubber springs, generally designated 29 and made up of individual springs 30 separated by sheet metal divider plates 31. The springs illustrated are of the type, which includes a sheet metal center plate having rings 32 of rubber disposed concentrically on opposite faces thereof and connected by plugs of rubber extending through openings in the plate. In the preferred arrangement, each of the rubber springs in the front group 29 has the same capacity and travel.

The rear link 25 contains a generally designated 33, with adjacent springs in the group separated by sheet metal divider plates. The springs in the group 33 include a sheet metal centerplate 34, which group of rubber springs,

by plug .Qf rubber. extending through. openings in. the plate. The springs in group 33 are all of the same capacity and travel and the two spring groups 29 and 33 alsohave-thesame capacityand travel. Preferably, each groupcentains the same number of. springs and,.altho ugh the springs inone grou'p .:differ in gonstruction from those ofthe Eother, all the springs employed-yin the gear have the same capacity and .travel.

The-groups .ofv springs with their divider plates are inserted in their respective links with the links placed so that the rear follower .block of, the: front link is in contactwiththefront follower block of:the rear. link. In this position .ofthe parts, the overallv length .of the asembly from the .outer' face of the vend piece 23. of-the front link to the outer face of the rearzfollower block 26 ofthe ,reanlink plus thethickness of the: follower block 24 is somewhat greater-than the specified length of an A. A. iR. draft pocket. Accordingly, the link assembly is subjected to pressure to reduce its overall length to permit insertion .of theassembly in a pocket and this causes the.

rear follower block 21 of the front link to .be separated from the front follower block 28 .of thetrear link. With the pressure maintained, a wedge. of wood or. other suitable material is insertedbetween the .two' followers to hold them apart after thepressure is removed.

The;;link assembly can be .IShlPPEd in compressed condition and it may be readily installed with its front follower 24 in a standard yoke. The yoke may then be moved up .into the draft pocket-fr'om beneath, after which a carrier plate36 is connected across the .bottom flanges ,of the sills to .support the yokeand the draft gear. Upon itsinstallation, the gear and front follower 24 may notmake tight contact with thefront and ,rear stops or with the ends .of the yoke,.because,of the wedge holding the spring groups compressed. .However, after ashort periodof use of the .gear, the wedge is crushed and the piecesfall out of the space between the followers.

In the operation of the draft gear described, the applicationof a force in buff through the coupler shank 18 to the front follower 24 causes the front'link to move inwardly toward the rear .stops- 13. In such-movement, the rear follower 21 of the frontslink compresses the rear spring group 33 against the rear follower 26, which is held stationary by the stops. At the same time, the front end piece 23 of the front link and the front follower- 24 move inwardly. and compress :the springs of the front group29 against the front follower 28 of the rear link, which is held stationary by the longitudinal members 27 connected .at their rear ends to therear follower. 26. The

twospring groups thus operate in parallel and, since both the rearend 14.0f the yoke moves the rearfollower 26' of the rear link away from the stops 13. The follower then applies pressure to the rear spring group 33 compressing it against. the rear follower 21 of the front link, which is held stationary by the longitudinal members 22 engaging frontend piece 23, which liesin contact with the front follower 24 held against movement by the front stops 12. The movement of rear follower 26 causes a corresponding movement of the front follower .28 of the rear link, which compresses the front spring group 29 against front end piece 23 and front follower 24.

The new gear has no moving parts generating-significant friction and thus no parts are subject to wear. It may be readily madewith a capacity of 30,000 ft.-lbs. and a travel in excess of the AA; R. minimum. The

gear never goes solid, .as do ordinary friction gears, and

thus always. provides a cushioning eifect. .However, its maximum travel under forces encountered in railway service is within the A. A. R. maximum.

I claim:

1. A draft gear, which comprises a front link consisting of front and rear endmembers of oblong shape, the members being of thesame height and the front end member being wider. than the rear end member, and longitudinal members of substantially the width of the rear end member of the rear link integrally connecting the end members along their top and bottom edges, a rear link interconnected with the front link and consisting of front and rear endmembers of oblong shape, the end members of the rear link being of the same width and the rear end memberof theirear. link being higher than the front end member of the rear link, and longitudinal members of substantially the height of the front end member ofv the rear link integrally connecting the end members of the rear linkalong their opposite side edges, the front end member of the rear link beingwider than the rear end member .of the front link and extendingthrough the front link and lying in front of and adjacent to the rear end member of the front link, a group of rubber cushioning elements within the front link in engagement with the inner face of the front end member of the front link and the outer face of the, front .end member of the rear link, and a group of rubber cushioning elements within the rear link inengagement with the outer face of the rear endmemberof the front link and the inner faceof the rear end memberof the front link, the two groups of cushioning elements having the same capacity and travel.

2. A draft gear, which comprises a frontllink consisting of front and rear end members of oblong shape, the members beingof the same height and the front end member being wider than .therear end member, and longitudinalmembers of substantially the width of the rear end member integrally connecting the end members along their top and bottom edges, a rear link interconnected with the front link and consisting of front and rear end members of oblong shape, the and members of therear link being of the same width and therear end member ofthe rearlink .beinghigher thanthe front end member of the rear link, and longitudinal members of substantially the height of the front end member of .therear link integrally connecting the .end members of the .rear. link along their opposite side edges, the front end member of the rear link being wider. than the rear member of the front link and. extending through the front link andlying in front .of and adjacent to the rear end member of the front link, a group of rubber cushioning elements within the front link in engagement with the inner face ofthe front end member ofthe front link and the outer face of the front end member-of the rear link, and agroup of rubber cushioning elements within .the rear link inv engagement with theouter face of the rear end member .of. the front link and the inner face of the rear .end member of the front link, .all thecushioning elements in the group within the front link being alike in. construction and all the cushioning elements in the group within the rear link being alike in construction and diifering from the 'elements in. the group within the vfront link, .the two .groups of cushioning elements havingthe same. capacity and travel.

2,535,197 Dath Dec. 26,1950 2,553,636 Dath May 22, 1951 

